'Hunger Games' mock trial convicts tyrannical president

A chanting chorus of child jurors on Thursday found President Snow of the nation of Panem guilty of kidnapping, child abuse and other heinous crimes for forcing children into the deadly Hunger Games.

Snow's Stand Your Nation law defense, mirrored after Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law, held no water with the nearly four dozen young jurors packed into courtroom 418 at the Broward County Courthouse.

The Broward State Attorney's Office on Thursday presented a mock trial with a "Hunger Games" theme for kids who accompanied their parents on "Take Your Child to Work" day. Prosecutor Tim Donnelly, head of the public corruption unit, scripted the courtroom play.

"We just want to expose them to [the system]," Donnelly said. "We're not going to debate philosophy with them; we just want them to have fun and hopefully they retain something."

After seeing the movie little more than a week ago, Donnelly, a father of four, ages 9 to 16, had the idea to adapt the popular young-adult novel and movie into a courtroom play.

The movie takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where, as a harsh reminder of a previous rebellion and to keep the nation's 12 districts in line, 24 boys and girls are randomly selected to compete in a yearly televised death battle called the Hunger Games.

Donnelly worked evenings developing The Nation of Panem v. President Coriolanus Snow and recruited fellow prosecutors to play the roles.

"Wanna-Be President Snow is the one who was behind the whole thing," Adriana Alcalde, argued as nation of Panem prosecutor. "We want peace for the districts. We don't want the Hunger Games."

Her star witness, head gamekeeper Seneca Crane, played by Tony Loe, complete with a shiny black, curlicue beard (applied with hair dye), testified in exchange for a plea deal that would send him to prison for two to five years for his part in the games.

"Everything I did was because he told me to do so," he said, referring to Snow as an "evil man."

And Snow, aka Broward's head homicide prosecutor, Brian Cavanagh, indignantly took the stand in his own defense: "I think I am the victim of the ultimate political prosecution."

The Stand Your Nation law, he said, allows the use of deadly force to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to defend the nation.

The Hunger Games maintain law and order, he bellowed. "We would have pandemonium in Panem, otherwise."

The chants of "guilty, guilty, guilty" grew in volume and enthusiasm as Cavanagh retreated from the witness stand to the defense table.

A guilty verdict, Snow's defense attorney, Donnelly, argued would not put an end to the Hunger Games.

"All you're going to be doing is punishing an old man for following the law," he said before falling to his knees and begging, "Please don't find him guilty."